Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Lower Jordan River, Jericho

Today we stopped at five locations by heading north along the coast of the Dead Sea. We began with a trip to the fortress city of Masada. This was the south eastern border city of ancient Israel. The city sits atop a lone mountain plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. We took a gondola ride up to the top of the mountain and walked through the city. Herod the Great built a 3-tiered palace at the city and the city controlled all commerce heading into the promise land from the south east region. Thankfully we took the gondola because the only path that existed in ancient times was a 1500-foot vertical climb called the snake path!

Our second destination was Ein Gedi which holds some amazing biblical significance. Ein Gedi is a water spring that runs out of the mountains into the Dead Sea. There is lush vegetation, caves, cliffs, and multiple waterfalls. Many members of our group immersed themselves under a small waterfall. This location holds biblical significance because David and his men hid from king Saul in the area and this is the location of the famous and humorous story from 1 Samuel 23 where Saul goes to relieve himself in a cave. David sneaks up on him and cuts a piece of his robe. David could have forced his hand and tried to establish himself as king but he instead trusted God’s timing and did not harm the man who was trying to kill him. It also teaches us to fully check out any cave you are using to go #2.

Next, we headed to Qumran for lunch and teaching. Qumran was a unique city of people living as priests who were dedicated to the scriptures. The city was a commune and the people there had a room specifically used to copy scripture. This city is significant because the caves located just a few hundred yards away are known for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The priests of this city are the reason we have the oldest known copies of the Old Testament.

The fourth place we visited was the lower Jordan River. The place we visited is believed to be near the area Jesus was baptized. This location really stood out to me because of a story in the book of Joshua. When the Israelites finally moved into the promise land, they first crossed the Jordan River. They did this by first bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the river and the river split. For generations the Israelites had hoped for the fulfillment of God’s promise going back to Abraham. The Jordan represents God’s fulfillment of His promise.

Finally, we went through the city of Jericho. Jericho holds significance for many reasons but outside the city is believed to be the wilderness that Jesus entered when He was tempted by Satan. The only thing we were tempted with was chocolate covered dates and nuts. Ha! We head north to the edge of the Sea of Galilee and onto our hotel. God is good!

Aaron Brackney